Seattle – The audience at Capitol Hill’s Barboza was treated to fuzzy, indie rock recently, courtesy of Francisco the Man. The L.A. outfit recently wrapped up a West Coast tour in support of their debut album, Loose Ends, out now on Fat Possum. (Ed., when it was released in October, Best New Bands called the record “a towering, triumphant record that excites the listener’s mind.”)
With Scotty Cantino on vocals and guitar, Néstor Romero on bass, Abdeel Ortega on drums, and Brock Woolsey on guitar and keys, Francisco the Man, who take their name from a character in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, rocked the Barboza basement to an unfortunately small crowd, given the Sunday night slot. A cohesive blend of shoe-gaze, indie rock, and hints of garage punk-pop, the four-piece band delivered a captivating hour-long set, playing through tracks off Loose Ends.
Opening with “I Used To Feel Fine,” the penultimate song off the album, Francisco the Man kicked off their set with a distinctive, grinding beat, fuzzed out vocals, and solid shoe-gaze rock.
The slower drive of “You and I,” the first track off their album, showcased Cantino’s echoing vocals, complemented by strong guitar reverb and a grooving bass line. Transitioning with a hearty “1-2-3-4” drumstick count-off, Francisco the Man launched into “In the Corners,” the album’s standout track. Ortega’s solid rhythms backed Cantino’s attack on the lyrics with a poppy grit, and surf-y keys enhanced the melody. Its lyrics are at once poetic and authentic: “Frozen in the water of my mind…Throwing out the foxes of regret…I close my eyes and all is quiet/ And in the world she disappears/ And I look for another beer.” A strong reverb fadeout transitioned into “Big Ideas,” with more great bass, pounding drums, and distortion, culminating in an impressively synchronized ending.
“This is our first time in Seattle for a while, thanks for hanging out,” Cantino said to the audience. While the bar was not quite filled with audience members, those who devoted their night to Barboza enthusiastically applauded the band.
Francisco the Man then played “Loaded,” recently featured as “Song of the Day” on local station KEXP, who describes the tune as “a hungover retrospective on a relationship run its course.” One of the catchiest songs of the night, “Loaded” was full of great four-on-the-floor rhythms, impressive guitar strumming, and a floating bass groove. It was a sunny melody balanced by reflective lyrics such as “Love is like cancer.”
Another strong performance was on “Progress,” the single from Loose Ends. Ortega’s unrelenting drumming (his shirt now soaked with sweat) carried Francisco the Man through the set and backed the cheerily falsetto chorus, accompanied still by the capable, catchy guitar riffs. Drawing the most cheers of the night, “Progress” was an enjoyable, even danceable tune, after which an audience member shouted, “Play it again!”
Slowing the pace down slightly, Francisco the Man played “It’s Not Your Fault,” whose pleasantly boisterous, up-and-down verses lead well into the wailing chorus. The show concluded with the album’s closing track, “It’s True, It’s You,” an easy, reverb-heavy tune, with the band wrapping up with a great instrumental jam.
The downside was that Francisco the Man read the crowd, and therefore did not play an encore. A Sunday night, and a late set at that, the Barboza crowd could not elicit the energy to prolong the performance – a shame, given Francisco the Man’s intrigue. An impressive group, it will be interesting to see how other cities respond to the band’s live shows.
Opening the night were two local rock groups: the trio Zebra Hunt, who performed great modern rock, and Chrome Lakes, made up of Chad Fox on vocals, Phil Sells on guitar, Ryan Bak on bass, Jay Beaman on drums, and Bryan Barrows on keys. Both bands gave devoted performances, filled with strong classic and modern rock elements, and set the pace well for the evening.
Follow Francisco the Man on Facebook to see when they resume touring.
Caitlin Peterkin
With degrees in journalism and music, Caitlin’s written for Paste Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and MajoringinMusic.com. She loves cheese, laughing at GIFs of corgis, road trip sing-alongs, and connecting with people over good beer and good music.
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